


all signposts and no destination

by possibilityleft



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Bridal-style carrying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Time, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, Treat, Wives, unsupportive families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:14:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/pseuds/possibilityleft
Summary: When the Gaang stopped in Gaoling, Toph didn't go with them.  Now years later, she finds herself engaged to a girl from the Fire Nation named Mai, who isn't any more interested in being married than Toph is.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Mai (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Mai (Avatar)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 49
Collections: Femslash Exchange 2020





	all signposts and no destination

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anthusiasm (HalfwayDecentFanfiction)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalfwayDecentFanfiction/gifts).



After the Avatar left to find another earthbending teacher, Toph threw herself into both her public and her private life with extra gusto. It only served to remind her that the life her parents insisted upon was boring at best and miserable at worst. It seemed like now that her parents knew her strength, they were determined to bury it in etiquette and tradition. As long as she pretended to be as ornamental as her mother, she could be useful to her family. As long as they didn't force her to wear shoes with soles, she went along with it.

She still sneaked out though. The Beifongs doubled their guards, but she was the Blind Bandit. Unless they put bars on her windows, she was going to escape (even then, there were the walls, they couldn't replace every stone in their home with metal). She had no need for money, so she kept the money her parents gave her for trinkets and bribed the guards, or locked them into earth prisons if they were uninterested, just to steal time for herself.

Once there was a guard who asked her to teach him some moves. Those were the best three months she had after Aang left. But she got impatient with his lack of progress, and he got tired of getting bowled over on his butt by a little blind girl, so he left, and the next person who came to imprison her was a governess.

She'd always had private tutors, although they babied her just as much as Yu did, and she had no patience for the books they'd read to her or memorizing poetry. This governess, however, tried to teach her how to be marriageable, which was worse.

Every day she thought she should have left with the Avatar, and every day she proved herself right.

*

After the war ended, Mai quickly grew bored again. Zuko spent hours in boring meetings and had no time for her. She knew there were talks going on among the Fire Nation nobles about the new Fire Lord taking a bride and solidifying his hold on the kingdom. She knew that her family couldn't be under serious consideration now. Her father had governed a conquered city, a city that was once again ruled by its king. They had been too cooperative with the old regime. Mai's turn was the only thing keeping them from prison, and although Zuko should have appreciated it, it seemed like he was willing to do nothing else than what he had already done. 

So when her parents started talking about betrothals, she said nothing about Zuko. She was shocked, however, when they decided to return to the Earth Kingdom for their choice. Her father mentioned something about healing old wounds; she was pretty sure that it was the Avatar's idea. Everyone at court was gossiping about the scandalous suggestion that Aang had made that Zuko reach out to the one of the Water Tribes to see if negotiations could be made for his own spouse.

Omashu had been awful, but the Fire Nation wasn't much better, now that Azula was impossible to talk to. Ty Lee had returned to her itinerant life and sent Mai letters from all over the world. So why not go be miserable in the Earth Kingdom?

When she started receiving polite letters from a prominent Earth Kingdom family, she read them. There wasn't a single hint of personality in them, just polite inquiries to her health and dull discussions of the weather. She wrote back, saying nothing politely, knowing that her parents read each letter that she sent and received.

The day that her parents received the betrothal approval from the palace, Zuko's seal upon it, Mai spent the morning packing and concealing her knives. She wasn't going anywhere without them, not even to the boring task of being a wife. If she wasn't granted more freedom by her spouse, she was going to take it herself.

*

"Married? No way," Toph said, crossing her arms. Her parents did not move, but her mother sighed.

"It was a good offer," her mother said. "You need someone who can take care of you when we're gone."

She hesitated, as if she was going to say something else, but she didn't. Toph planted her feet. There was something they weren't telling her.

"You'd said you wanted to travel," her father said hopefully. "This girl is from the Fire Nation, and I'm sure she has many interesting stories and customs."

"What?!" Toph yelled. "Fire Nation?"

She'd never heard a good word about the Fire Nation in her entire life, except that the new Firelord was sensible enough to have fought on the Avatar's side. That was the only reason he was still in power, she assumed.

Her parents were unmoved. "She's arriving tomorrow to meet you. She has apparently been in the Earth Kingdom before," her father said, with finality.

Toph stomped off to her room and sulked until the household was safely asleep. Then she sneaked out and spent the early morning hours bending deep fissures into the earth and closing them up again. She didn't feel any better when she finally went to bed.

*

It could be construed as an insult, a match to a same-sex partner. It wasn't often used that way nowadays, but it used to be more common for women who were otherwise thought unmarriageable or undesirable. Mai's parents had a son to carry on their name, so they were willing to join their daughter to a foreign woman. This way, there could be no rumors about the parentage of any of Mai's children. And Toph's family were very well-born. They would have had a hard time making a match, though, given Toph's blindness. It wasn't likely to be genetic, but the Earth Kingdom nobles they'd met with were unwilling to take the chance.

Still, same-sex partnerships were by no means doomed; some people were more inclined to be interested in people of their own gender, and others managed at least to develop a sisterly relationship that carried them well into their new life. Now that Toph was a marriageable age, she should be ready to perform her duty. 

"Sure, whatever," Toph said, cutting off her governess's lecture, and she allowed the servants to help her dress and put up her hair.

When Mai's family arrived, the two girls were immediately herded out into the garden to chat. Toph's ever present guards followed at a respectful distance. The real negotiations were going on inside between the families. Toph and Mai walked in silence for a long time in a circle around the grounds.

"Your house is nice," Mai said, and Toph thought she sounded bored.

"It's okay," Toph responded. "I don't really get to see a lot of places."

"Because you're--" Mai stopped. Toph shook her head and stopped walking. She pressed her feet into the perfectly paved path.

"Look," she said, "there's one thing you have to understand if I marry you. I'm not helpless just because I don't see with my eyes. I don't want anyone to treat me like I'm useless."

"Good," Mai said, and sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't be that boring. Your letters were insufferable."

"I didn't write any letters," Toph said. "Writing isn't really my thing." She waved a hand in front of her face, and Mai laughed despite herself.

*

The marriage was arranged. It wasn't that Toph particularly liked Mai, but at least she didn't hate her on first impression. She had a dry wit, and Toph suspected, a tricky sense of humor. And it wasn't that Mai particularly liked Toph, but that she had the impression that Toph was like her in some ways -- that she was used to being alone, and liked it, and that meant she would let Mai do her own thing.

The Beifongs insisted that the new couple live in the Earth Kingdom, at least at the beginning. Toph knew they'd never give her up willingly. They wanted to keep an eye on her, to be sure that she didn't run away and that she was behaving like she was supposed to.

Mai dressed their bed in Fire Nation silks and didn't protest when Toph curled up on the far side of it, away from her. She liked being able to read in the evening without having to put out her candle. She liked Toph's snoring less.

After about a week of terrifying the Beifong servants into submission, they found her a place to practice her knife work, which she often did after dinner instead of spending time with Toph before bed. She wasn't sure if Toph knew where she went, so she didn't mention it.

Sometimes Toph didn't sneak into their bed until late night, almost morning, but Mai didn't ask why. Perhaps their union would be blessed with children after all. Or perhaps it was something else, who knew what secrets Toph was keeping. As long as she didn't beg for Mai's, that was fine with her. 

But often when Toph came to bed she stank of earth, the deep clay darkness, and Mai wondered if she was a better earthbender than her in-laws would admit. 

When she came to bed late at night, Mai kicked her out until she cleaned her feet, which were always filthy. 

"A little dirt never hurt anyone," Toph protested, but she began to use the little bowl of water that Mai kept near the bed. 

Mai was still bored. But it could be worse, she supposed. She might have Fire Lady duties now. Or she could be in Azula's shoes. 

When her parents wrote to her and asked them to visit for New Year's celebrations, she could tell that her in-laws were uncomfortable with the idea. Toph had never traveled alone, certainly never so far. It wasn't safe. Mai wanted to say that it seemed pointless to her that they'd made Toph get married if they wouldn't let her do anything, but she saw the way that Toph fisted her hands in her dress. And what was with her parents always making any inquiry an audience? Her parents didn't insist their daughter address them from a dais. 

"My parents would be so devastated not to have us for our first New Year's together," Mai drawled, attempting to keep the sarcasm from her voice. She saw Toph smile just a little. "We'll leave next week," she announced, ignoring all further protest, and when she bowed and rose and left, Toph caught her sleeve in the hall. 

"Tell me what the Fire Nation is like," she demanded.

"Hot," Mai said. She thought for a moment. "Also, I kind of used to date the Fire Lord. So."

She enjoyed the look of surprise on Toph's face. Not a lot of people surprised Toph, she suspected. She was surprised in turn by the satisfied grin that followed.

"Well, look at that -- I won," she said, and then, "don't wait up tonight."

Mai would have protested that she never waited up for Toph, which technically was true. The candles were usually blown out by the time Toph came to bed, when she was out late, but Mai wasn't always asleep. She'd already gotten used to having someone in bed beside her, a firm rock of familiarity.

That was probably what marriage was mostly, she thought. She slept better when Toph was there.

*

They were one day out of Gaoling when Toph sighed, cracked all her knuckles, and said, "How late can we be?"

Mai thought perhaps the motion of the carriage was making her sick. "We can take some time," she said. "It's a long journey. My parents won't be concerned unless we miss the New Year."

"Perfect!" Toph said. "Do you want to do something fun for once?"

She put out a hand, and Mai took it. Thirty minutes later, their carriage was overturned on the side of the road, the axle snapped, and maybe a little bit on fire (Mai of course carried her own tricks).

"We'll walk for a while," Toph shouted back to their attendants, holding onto Mai's hip as she propelled them forward on a crest of earth, kicking up all kinds of dust and dirt onto what had ostensibly been a road. Mai was having the most fun she'd had in ages. She let Toph drive for a while until she got tired of the dirt in her shoes and all over her clothes, and insisted that they stop at a stream.

"Can't get dirt in your shoes if you don't wear any," Toph said, wiggling her toes, but she didn't seem too bothered. She was leaning against a rock, legs crossed, with Mai's sun hat pulled down over her eyes. She was more relaxed than Mai had ever seen her, save when she was sleeping.

"Some of us can't bend the rocks away from our feet," Mai replied mildly. Toph had made a few soft gestures and summoned most of the debris out of her clothing, but Mai still liked the opportunity to soak her feet.

"So tell me," Toph said. "What was it like being friends with Princess Crazypants over there?"

"So tell me," Mai said, her shoulders tightening, "where do you go at night?"

Toph said nothing. Eventually Mai put her shoes back on and they began walking again, this time at a more sedate pace.

*

Toph would have been happy to camp each night, but Mai was a little more delicate. She'd agreed to go Toph's way for at least a while on their journey, so Toph agreed to stay indoors sometimes. Once they got to the coast, they'd have no choice, and she was not looking forward to the boat.

They rolled into a little town in the late afternoon and Toph let Mai find them lodgings; that was usually easier when the seeing person managed it. She was standing in the lobby when she heard some guy talking about a fight, so she managed to corner him and get the info. Perfect. It wasn't Earth Rumble -- not out here in the boonies -- but it was _something_. Toph hadn't punched anything all day. She hadn't talked much either, not after she tried to pry some personal info out of Mai. Maybe she shouldn't have asked, but people gossiped. No one who knew her as the Blind Bandit knew she'd married the girl who came in with the Fire Nation nobility a few months before. She heard the chatter.

She was excited to be out here, away from her parents' reach. She was absolutely certain that their servants/captors were struggling to catch up with them and wrap them both back in the fog of uselessness, but they weren't here. It was just her and Mai, which wasn't what she'd ever dreamed about when she used to dream about leaving, but that wasn't so bad either.

She came back inside and found Mai. "Do you want to see a fight?" she asked, knowing her excitement was showing.

"Uhhh…" Mai said, hesitating.

"Do you want to see _me_ fight?" she asked.

"Definitely," Mai said. So they went to the not-quite-Earth Rumble and maybe Toph showed off a little by fighting off 4 former champs one after the other. Of the challengers, only two were actually very good. The last one put up a real fight but Toph won in the end.

"The Blind Bandit wins again!" she yelled. There were no announcers here, just a dirt floor and some ropes around the arena. She didn't mind too much. A fight was a fight, a chance to prove herself.

Afterwards, the blood and success still rushing through her ears, she found Mai in the stands.

"What did you think?" she asked. " _This_ is where I go at night. Well, a nicer stadium."

"I think I can take you," Mai said, and Toph couldn't help but let out an indignant yell. She grabbed the front of Mai's dress.

"Let's do it," she said.

"Tomorrow," Mai said, and yawned. "Let's go to bed."

They made their way back to the inn and slept together in the one tiny bed. When they woke up Toph found she'd been spooning Mai.

"And snoring in my ear," Mai said. "Come on."

They left the inn and Toph pestered Mai until she agreed to show Toph her stuff.

"I throw knives," Mai said finally. "You're not going to see it coming. That's why I could take you. I can't throw metal through the air at a blind earthbender. If I kill my wife, my parents will just marry me off to someone else."

Toph made a raspberry. She threw up an embankment in front of herself and pushed it in Mai's direction, stopping it before it collided with her.

"That's how I would fight knife-throwing. The knife has to come from the thrower, and I can always feel where you are with my feet."

"Assuming I'm on the ground," Mai said. They were surrounded by trees, which would have been her first move if she were planning an attack..

"I have some less lethal ones if you want to practice together sometime," she said.

"You've got a deal, Points," Toph announced, looping her arm around Mai's shoulder, and they talked about fighting until their carriage finally caught up with them. The servants didn't yell -- they were still afraid of them both -- but they did strongly suggest that the two ride for a while, so they gave in.

After that, they sparred whenever they got too bored or tired of being cooped up. Which was often. The further they got from Gaoling, the more wild Toph felt. There was an entire world out here that she could have seen with the Avatar, and she hadn't gone.

"I feel like such an idiot," she admitted eventually, putting her head in her hands. "I could have gone anywhere, been anything. All I had to do was teach the Avatar to earthbend. And I didn't take the chance."

"Sometimes it's easier to go along with what your parents want than to fight it all the time," Mai said, and she sighed.

"Please tell me your parents aren't as bad as mine," Toph said, groaning.

"They have Tom-Tom to keep them busy, at least," Mai said. "Hopefully there'll just be a few feasts or whatever and most of the time we can be on our own."

"Ugh, _feasts_ ," Toph said, feeling the bile rise in her throat. She was so sick of playing dress-up for people who didn't care about her.

But she did notice that Mai said "on our own," not "on my own." Like they could be alone together. The more they traveled, the more this idea pleased Toph. Mai did have a biting wit, it turned out, and her retelling of the Hundred Years War was way more interesting than anything her history tutors had taught her. Plus she added in the Fire Nation side, which, to be fair, was still not great, but at least it explained why she'd been so ready to leave.

*

The longer they traveled, the more that Mai found herself watching Toph. Outside of Gaoling, Toph carried herself with an admirable confidence. She was similar to Azula in some ways -- confident and brash -- but without Azula's creative cruelty. She was incredibly stubborn and independent, sometimes to the point of irritation, but always quick with a joke.

And maybe it was just because they had been spending a lot of time together, but Mai was starting to really enjoy the time they spent alone. Toph's hand often found hers when they stayed in towns or found themselves in crowds, and now that Mai had permitted the nightly spooning, it was every night. Toph wrapped her strong arms around Mai's waist and slept deeply and easily, leaving Mai with her thoughts until she was also ready to rest.

She gave Toph one of her blunted knives and when she was bored, Toph turned it over and over in her hands, as if she were considering something.

"If I could learn to metalbend," Toph said, "I bet I'd be able to beat you anytime."

Mai had to laugh. "Don't you ever think about something else besides fighting and earthbending?"

Toph shrugged. "Well, it's not like I can take up calligraphy."

"You could make some friends," Mai suggested.

"I've got you, don't I?" she said, putting her feet up in Mai's lap, and shivering when Mai touched the ball of her foot.

"Tickles," she said, but didn't move her foot away.

*

They continued their journey to the coast and then boarded a boat, at which point Toph folded in again, shutting Mai out and everyone else. She walked laps around the ship barefoot, muttering to herself about how there was earth in metal and metal in earth. Mai wasn't as supportive as she could have been, perhaps. The closer she got to the Fire Nation, the more she thought about the life she had there and how it would never be the same again.

Maybe that was why she wanted to stop to see Azula. It was a terrible idea. She knew it as soon as their boat docked.

"I think this is a bad idea," Toph announced. On dry land she had recovered more of her confidence, but she still seemed distracted. She put her arm in Mai's though and they went out into the hospital grounds together. They'd been told that Azula was receiving nature therapy, whatever that meant. Mai remembered her throwing rocks at the turtleducks when they were kids and hoped that plants were all she had to torture.

"Mai! What a pleasant surprise!" Azula said. "Oh, and you brought a friend! How special that you came all this way to see me."

Her words were sweet, but Mai saw the way Azula's eyes narrowed, the way she was looking at the two of them, her head cocked to one side, considering.

"This is -- " And Mai realized that she'd never said it out loud before, stumbling, "This is my wife, Toph Beifong. She's from the Earth Kingdom."

"I'm sick, Mai, not an idiot," Azula said, lips curling up. "Everyone's been talking about your pet earthbender."

Toph bristled. "How much news do you get around here anyway? Since they don't let anyone go out," she retorted.

"I have my ways," Azula said.

She looked much the same as Mai remembered, but softer. Not in spirit, but her nails were trimmed short and her hair was loosely braided instead of pinned up in a traditional style. Even her clothes were loose robes in dull colors. Mai could tell that Azula hated that Mai was seeing her this way.

"How are you?" she asked uselessly.

"How do you think?"

Toph yawned. "Well, I'm bored already. Do you think anyone will care if I redecorate the statue garden?" She pointed her thumb in the direction.

"Charming," Azula said. "I thought they would have found Earth Kingdom nobility for you at least, Mai."

Toph spat to one side and Mai cringed a little. She regretted it immediately; she could tell it bothered Toph.

"You'll have to come visit us when they let you out," Toph said in a mockingly polite voice. "We'll show you high society in the Earth Kingdom. I have to warn you though, no one likes firebenders there."

"No one much likes earthbenders here," Azula said. "So that seems fair."

"Whatever," Toph said, waving and walking away. "Great to meet you, Azuzu. Can't wait to never see you again."

There wasn't much conversation remaining after that. Azula had insight on all of the other patients, but sometimes she also trailed off in the middle of a sentence, as if she had lost her focus. And Mai didn't really care about the other people that Azula was spending time with now. She remembered being so devoted to Azula's opinions, even the really terrible ones. That life seemed like a world away now.

*

"If this is how they're going to treat you when you're here, why did we even come?" Toph asked that night. They were in their berth on the boat again, en-route to their final destination. Mai had been rereading her mother's most recent letter, trying to mine it for conversational topics. Tom-Tom had started school at the Royal Fire Academy for Boys, but she didn't feel like talking about nursery rhymes.

"Weren't you saying you wanted to get out of your family's compound? We're so far from them now it would take a hawk a week to get to you. And there isn't much they could do with a hawk," Mai answered.

"Depends on who they sent it to," Toph muttered. "I just don't like it. You let Azula talk down to you like she's still your boss. Everyone thinks that marrying me was your punishment, right? Look at Mai, she married the little blind earthbender."

"I don't know why you're so bothered by this," Mai said. "From what you told me, marrying a Fire Nation person was a punishment to you too. You can't wait to get away from your parents and strike out on your own, but you didn't dare to leave. Now that you're stuck out here in the Fire Nation with me, it's unbearable?"

Toph got out of their bed, throwing her cloak over herself and slamming the door when she left. Mai went to sleep. When she woke in the morning, she went out onto the deck. Toph was curled up next to a bulkhead using her cloak as a pillow. Mai leaned down next to her and poked her in the shoulder until she woke, snorting.

"I don't think you're a punishment," she said. "And I don't care what the others think. Quit moping, people are going to think you rubbed off on me."

Toph sat up, rubbing at her eyes, and said, "You still don't get it!" And that was when she reached out and grabbed Mai, pulling her forward and kissing her clumsily. Mai didn't move for a moment, surprised, but then she leaned in.

"You're an idiot," she said affectionately, when Toph pulled back, breathing hard.

"If I'm the only idiot, why did this take so long?" Toph asked her, grinning. "Come on," she said, scrambling to her feet and offering Mai a hand.

*

For all her bravado, they didn't get too far into exploring this new dimension to their relationship before the boat docked and they had to meet Mai's family. Toph let Mai put up her hair in the Fire Nation fashion and they disembarked, holding hands, to meet them. Tom-Tom took to Toph right away and spent their entire time chattering away about something Toph didn't really pay attention to. Mai's parents were polite and uncomfortable, just like they had been when they'd first met, but perhaps a little easier now that they were on their home ground.

Every time Toph touched Mai now, it felt like a little electric shock. It had taken her a while to realize what she wanted, but now that she had, she didn't want to wait any longer. If the Fire Lord had turned Mai down, well, that was his loss. She was sharp, sarcastic, and she made Toph feel like it was just the two of them against the world.

Mai's parents had promised an intimate family dinner, but as it turned out, their idea of "intimate" meant just inviting their entire family out to their first cousins. Toph and Mai begged off early, claiming to be tired. All day they had been sneaking kisses in alcoves and Mai had been touching Toph's thigh under the table. But before they went to bed, Mai insisted on a bath. She wanted out of her travel clothes finally and into something comfortable. Their apartment had a private bath, so why not enjoy it? And it was big enough for two.

Toph usually dressed in private. She'd always been a bit self-conscious about her appearance, not knowing what she looked like. She wore whatever clothes someone handed her or that she felt comfortable in. She didn't really think about someone else seeing her naked. She listened to the rustle as Mai removed her clothes, hardly hesitating, but then Mai paused, waiting for her.

"Come on," Mai said. "Do you want me not to look?" She seemed amused.

Toph rose to the implied challenge, throwing off her clothes and hurrying into the bath, which was deep enough to sit in comfortably, the water warm at her shoulder. Mai soon followed, and they spent a moment knee to knee before Mai said, "You're cute, you know."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Toph said.

Mai reached down into the water and grabbed Toph's right foot. She started rubbing it, her hands firm, first the ball and then behind it. Mai's fingers were long and delicate and pushed just right, and Toph let out a moan.

"Have you ever done anything before?" Mai asked, and reached under the water to grab Toph's calf and pull her closer, into Mai's lap, using the action to explain the vague question.

"I've kissed a few people. And I -- by myself," Toph said, distracted by Mai's hand traveling up her thigh and resting on her hip.

"I went to an all girl's school," Mai said, "so I was well-educated."

She pressed her lips to Toph's and then her tongue was in Toph's mouth. Toph pushed her body against Mai's, finding her breast and cupping it. Mai kissed her and kissed her, until Toph's whole body felt like it was on fire with want. She nipped at Mai's neck.

"Not there, it'll show," Mai said, pulling Toph's head onto her breasts and moaning as Toph began to lick and suckle them. Mai's hands traced Toph's body, down her back, and she grabbed her ass and pushed against her.

Toph was content to let Mai lead for now, but she was taking notes.

"Sit up on the edge of the tub and spread your knees," Mai said, and Toph hurled her body onto the side, wrapping her legs around Mai's shoulders. Mai lowered her head to Toph's sex and breathed once, making Toph shiver again.

"You're beautiful," she said, and then she licked her clit and Toph shouted in pleasurable surprise.

"Not so loud," Mai said, pausing, and then returned to licking and suckling at Toph. Toph shoved her hands over her mouth, not wanting anyone to interrupt them, her thighs quivering. Her ankles pressed into Mai's back and she wanted to push Mai's face into her, chasing the pleasure until it burst. It didn't take long for her to come the first time, and Mai waited for a brief few moments before bowing her head again, ignoring Toph's protests of sensitivity; the second time was even faster.

"That was way better than when I did it by myself," she said, when she felt like she could speak again. Mai was still lying there between her knees, running her fingernails across Toph's thigh. She laughed.

"Can I--?" Toph asked, taking Mai's hand from her thigh and squeezing, and Mai stood up in the bath, allowing Toph to assist her with getting out.

"Let's go find a real bed," Mai suggested, and Toph agreed. Then she had an idea.

"Come here," she said, and she hoisted Mai up onto her shoulder, holding onto her butt, and carried her from the bath down the hall to their bedroom. Mai's hair was wet, falling all over Toph's face. Mai was protesting, but Toph ignored it. She set Mai back down just inside their room.

"There," she said. "It's an old Water Tribe custom someone told me about once. You carry your wife over the threshold into your room when you get married."

"We got married six months ago, Toph," Mai said, spitting her own hair out of her face. Freed from its customary fasteners, her hair fell midway down her back. She picked up a brush from their bedside table and started to comb it with long strokes.

Toph wanted to touch it. "Can I brush it?" she asked, and Mai handed the brush to her. 

"You owe me, since you messed it up," she said. 

Toph liked combing Mai's hair like she had never liked combing her own. Mai lifted her chin up and seemed to enjoy the rough bristles against her scalp.

"You're gentler than most people," she said.

"For now," Toph said, and soon the brush was forgotten as Toph's hands explored Mai's body. Mai insisted they pause so she could plait her hair, but then she allowed Toph to push her back onto the bed and kneel over her, pressing her knee into Mai's center.

"I like hands," Mai said, guiding Toph's fingers and helping her get the rhythm. She worked as diligently on this as she did when she was training, moving her hand and noticing Mai's gasps and sighs. Mai reached down to tease her own clit and it wasn't long before she was there too, boneless on the bedspread.

Toph pulled her fingers free and licked them, prompting a low hum of pleasure from Mai.

"I had to know what that tasted like for next time," she said, throwing herself onto the bed next to Mai.

"Come sit on my face," Mai said, her voice deep, and they didn't go to bed until the late hours of the night, after which Toph felt very well educated.

*

The next morning they lay in bed late. Toph pillowed her head on Mai's breast and said, "We should run away."

"We're adults, you know," Mai answered. "We don't have to run away. We could just leave. I keep telling you this." She sighed and petted Toph's hair.

"Running away is more fun," Toph said. "I'll have to go back to Gaoling sometime to reclaim my Earth Rumble title, though."

"Ty Lee is probably in Kyoshi right now," Mai said carelessly. "And I know someone in Ba Sing Se that we could probably visit."

"You are a worldly Fire Nation girl after all," Toph said, poking Mai in the side, which became wrestling, which became sex again, because she thought they might as well catch up for the first six months. Afterwards, Mai put on enough clothes to tell the servants that Toph was very ill and they'd like breakfast in bed. Munching on noodles, they plotted destinations across the globe -- Ember Island, the former colonies, any quiet town where they could run some tricks and spend a few nights. Once they found somewhere they really liked, they could settle down for a while and enjoy the quiet.

"A house in the middle of the woods," Mai said. "Where people will leave us alone."

"I'm going to figure out this metalbending thing," Toph said, "and then we can open a school."

Mai laughed. "Somehow I don't see you teaching."

"I can yell, that's close enough, right?" Toph said, shrugging.

They finally emerged around nightfall to put in an appearance for the big party, where it seemed like Mai's parents had invited everyone they had ever met, political or not, and there were so many feet out on the lawn that it reminded Toph of spectators at Earth Rumble. They made the rounds, Toph's hand on Mai's elbow, and after the third person ignored Toph to talk to Mai alone, as if she were deaf as well as blind, Mai could feel the tension rising in Toph's body.

"The next person who ignores me, I'm going to earthbend his feet to the ground," she whispered in Mai's ear.

"No one will even notice if we leave," Mai told her. Her parents were busy playing politics, even if they weren't back in the government's good graces yet. No one else was here that Mai intended to spend time with.

"Run away it is," Toph said, and they edged themselves out of the crowd and back to their room.

*

The servants found the note in the morning and brought it to Mai's parents immediately.

 _Left for honeymoon, have a good new year. Toph says don't worry the Beifongs. She's in good hands._ Mai had signed it in the perfect script she'd learned at the Fire Academy, and Toph had left a smudged thumbprint.

By the time the messenger hawk went out, there was no finding them. There were two women walking the beach on Ember Island, Toph bending elaborate sand castles and Mai kicking them down like a giant spirit monster, and they cared for nothing but each other for a while.


End file.
